


Coming Home

by ChandlerBlue



Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: Awesome Mandy Milkovich, Brother-Sister Relationships, Canon Compliant, Domestic Ian Gallagher/Mickey Milkovich, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Ian Gallagher & Mandy Milkovich Friendship, M/M, Mentioned Terry Milkovich, POV Mandy Milkovich, Post-Season/Series 10, Reunions, Season/Series 11
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-01
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-13 21:35:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,989
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29782446
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChandlerBlue/pseuds/ChandlerBlue
Summary: It's been years, but she's back. Mandy Milkovich has no idea how much things have changed, but she's ready to find out.
Relationships: Ian Gallagher & Mickey Milkovich, Ian Gallagher/Mandy Milkovich, Ian Gallagher/Mickey Milkovich, Mandy Milkovich & Mickey Milkovich, Mandy Milkovich/Mickey Milkovich
Comments: 28
Kudos: 268





	1. Chapter 1

Mandy wasn't here to stay long.

Her dark brown hair was pulled up in a short ponytail, reaching her shoulders only barely. Face devoid of too much makeup, she hoped her cheeks weren't too red from the chillness of the Chicago winter. Even if it was almost nearing March, the temperatures were sometimes below freezing and Mandy didn't know if she could handle the cold, being away in hot, sweaty California for so long.

She was stuck in the escorting business for a while, making money the only way she knew how -- by using her face and body as something to parade around. She wasn't proud of it, not even a little, but money was money and she had a plan. It was simple, really -- earn enough cash to buy a plane ticket to a place far, far away, find a place to stay once the destination was reached, and then work her way up to an average life with an average job and an average, hopefully non-abusive, household. 

She knew it was a far-fetched plan, but somehow, she succeeded in making it a reality. It was anything but easy, and it involved so much sweat and so many tears that she thought she'd never be able to escape. But she did.

It took a couple of months of desperate saving and couch-jumping to earn about sixteen-hundred bucks for a ticket to Sacramento, and a place to rent for a little while. She struggled when she got there, not only because of the cut ties with every single person she knew back in Chicago but also because of the living expenses the richer side of the USA brought. It took Mandy a couple of months to even begin to consider she was making a smart choice moving. It was only when she got a full-time, paying job that made it easier to pay rent and buy food, did she finally feel like settling down.

And she did settle down, eventually.

She was working as a manager at a popular restaurant in Sacramento, and the pay was enough to cover all her bills and rent in the comfortable studio apartment she had been living in these past few years, and, for the first time in her life, she didn't worry whether or not she'd have enough for food or other utilities, which she was so, unbelievably grateful for.

Mandy had even met a nice guy who treated her right, but the Southside way was hard to ditch, and she still found some thrill in fucking bad guys who could only bring her trouble, which she managed to avoid fairly well.

But now she was here, back in the Southside.

Ian Gallagher was the last person from this side of town she ever spoke to since her departure, and she couldn't say she didn't miss her family, as fucked up as it was. She hadn't contacted a single soul from Chicago in five years and she never planned on it, until a few days ago, when the unwanted nostalgia hit her hard. Mandy had no idea what happened to her brothers, to Terry, to Mickey who she last remembered was in prison for attempted murder (and probably still was). She also wondered what Ian was up to, where his life had taken him. Was he still dating that fireman? Was he an EMT like he said he wanted to be? Was he still as sad as he was that last time?

She briefly let Lip cross her mind but she pushed the thought of the lost love away. There were no hard feelings on her side, but she didn't feel like reminiscing.

Mandy wrapped the jacket tighter around her body as she walked to her childhood home, scared out of her mind. It was only a corner away, and she could just imagine walking in and seeing her brothers' eyes widening, asking her where she'd been. She could imagine Terry grunting to make him a sandwich as if she was never gone, but she had a feeling he was locked away. Truthfully, she had no idea what was going on in the Milkovich house - she had no idea what was going on here at all, and she'd be lying if she said she wasn't curious to find out.

The first step to finding out, though, was seeing the large red "EVICTED" sign on the door of the Milkovich residence. The gray house was empty and noiseless, which was uncanny. Mandy guessed they hadn't been evicted long, considering how dirtless and uncrumpled the paper was. She turned around to look around the street and she noticed a man watching her. She barely recognized him as her old neighbor.

"Mandy Milkovich?" The older man inquired. Mandy grimaced. She never forgot where she came from, but her name lost meaning in California. It was so easy to forget her lineage when nobody knew about it. Back home, she was Mandy Milkovich, a respected manager, always well-kept and nice, always ready to help and be of service. Back home, she was an enigma, but not a bad one -- an enigma people wanted to solve, but couldn't, and she relished in the feeling of creating a name for herself. Not somebody else's, not a name she had been born with, but a name that truly, only belonged to her.

Here, that privilege dissipated. Here she was Mandy Milkovich, scum. The dirt beneath your shoe.

She didn't confirm or deny the man's question, but rather asked, "Where are they now?" She nodded at the vacated premises.

"Moved next door to the Gallaghers. Milkovich's really like pissin' 'em off." He chuckled, and walked away, leaving her to wrap her head around the newly-found information. Her family moved next door to the Gallaghers? Just to piss them off? Milkovich's usually didn't even give two shits about one of their own, let alone cared enough to go out of their way to piss someone off. What had happened here?

She turned around slowly and started walking towards the familiar house. She was somewhat of a resident there back then. She shook the memory away. As she rounded the corners, she observed her old neighborhood -- it was different, a little more...normal? She guessed it somewhat reminded her of an extremely shitty version of a mediocre part of Sacramento. It was still better than what it had been.

She passed a house that had "GO HOME GENTRIFIER" written in huge red letters on its side. It was a nice house and she realized that gentrification might be a good thing for her, but definitely not for your run-of-the-mill Southsiders. Mandy chuckled to herself but quickly sobered up when she neared the Gallagher house.

She first noticed how familiar it looked, the steps, the porch, the unkempt backyard. Then she noticed the mess that was in the house next to them. Junk littered the front of the garden -- if it could be called one -- Nazi signs painted all across the place, the confederation flag she knew all too well lying discarded on the now-dirty, grass.

The contrast between the homes was drastic. But then again, it had always been, in every possible way.

She walked past the Gallagher home, making sure to remember to check up on her good friend when she was done with her forthcoming trauma. Mandy walked up the stairs and knocked, carefully.

The door swung open after a few moments Mandy spent not breathing. On the doorstep stood Zofia, a cousin Mandy had long ago forgotten about. Her eyes widened at the sight of Mandy. "Holy shit."

"Hey, Zofia." Mandy smiled back. She allowed herself to be patted on the back by the skinny girl, and she made sure not to cringe at the smell of cigarettes and alcohol coming from inside the house, and radiating off the Milkovich.

"The fuck you doin' here?" There was no malice in Zofia's voice, mostly just curiosity. 

"Came to visit," Mandy replied simply, voice scratchy from the cold, yet still soft.

"You heard about Uncle Terry then, I'm guessing. The old bastard's sleepin' right now. Should wake up soon though, once his drugs wear off."

Mandy stood frozen at the door, jaw slack. "What happened to Terry?"

Zofia looked her cousin up and down before explaining simply. "Got shot. He's paralyzed from the neck down."

"Who shot him?"

She shrugged, "Don't know."

"When?"

"A couple of weeks ago. Wanna come in and see? He looks pretty fuckin' helpless."

Mandy recoiled, changing the subject. Terry wasn't in her plan today. No and no. Not yet. "Um, are my brothers here somewhere?"

Zofia shrugged again. "Not now. They'll be here later, though."

Mandy, still shocked from the revelation, just nodded. "Okay. Um, don't tell anyone I was here, I'll probably come back again."

The girl nodded. "'Kay." And then she closed the door in Mandy's face.

Mandy's body was hit by a pang of mixed guilt and relief. Terry was paralyzed. He couldn't do anything to her. He was helpless. She looked back at the house once more before deciding she couldn't face anyone quite yet. Mandy needed a drink, but the Alibi was out of the question -- she couldn't be recognized, not when she needed some time just to breathe.

So, she headed back to her hotel, making a promise to herself to come back to the Gallagher house tonight. She owed it to a certain redhead she dearly loved, even after all this time.

There was a possibility Ian Gallagher didn't even live here anymore, but Mandy knew she'd get the answer of his whereabouts as soon as she knocked on the door she was currently standing in front of.

Her palms were sweaty, but it wasn't because she was particularly nervous -- she didn't really have anything to be nervous about. Ian was a man like no other, probably the best one she's ever known, still to this day, even if she lives in a well-respected area with supposedly many well-mannered men. It was a sad realization that it didn't matter where you were -- men were always shitty. 

Mandy raised her hand and she felt butterflies in her tummy as she knocked. Truth was, back when she was still a teenager, she had a massive crush on Ian, even when she found out he was gay. It was mostly why she suggested acting as his beard -- her goal was to try and spend more time with him, kissing him when she could, hoping he'd change his mind. It was only later that she realized how stupid she was, and how good of a friend Ian was. He was there with her through thick and thin. 

That one summer changed them. Ian fell in love with Mickey, Mandy fell in love with Lip. She supposed both of their brothers led them to their destruction. But, she hoped that, just like she was happy now, so was Ian.

The door swung open, revealing a grown-up Carl Gallagher. The last time she'd seen him, he was a young boy just hitting puberty. Here he was now, standing in front of her, tall and lean, his face boyish yet mature. His voice didn't crack like the last time she heard it when he muttered, surprised, "Holy shit, Mandy."

"Hey," She smiled, slightly surprised he recognized her, "Ian here?"

Carl shouted from where he was standing, "Ian!"

Mandy cringed at the noise, but it didn't stop Carl from repeating the action. "Ian! Get down here! There's someone at the door for ya'!" He turned back to her. "Come in."

The house looked pretty much the same as it always did -- from what she remembered, it was just as it was six years ago. The couch was different, she noted. A dark-skinned boy, about twelve was sitting on it, alongside a little redheaded girl. 

Liam and Debbie's kid, Mandy guessed. Neither recognized her, which she wasn't surprised by. 

Heavy footsteps sounded through the house as somebody walked down the stairs. Mandy took a deep breath as her favorite ginger appeared before her. Carl moved to the kitchen, nudging the kids to do so as well. They followed without question.

Ian was different. Completely and utterly different, and yet completely and utterly the same. His hair was short and curly, a different shade of orange than the fiery red he had the last time she'd seen him. He was taller than she remembered and definitely filled with much more muscle, his face chubbier but still adorably handsome. 

He paused when he saw her. Ian's eyes nearly bulged out of his head as he stared at Mandy, assessing her, maybe making sure she was real. And then, his face broke out into a smile, and he wrapped his long arms around her as if she's never left and she hugged him back with as much ferocity, tears pooling in her eyes, not being able to stop them from dropping.

"Oh my God." He whispered against her hair, still holding her tight. "You're here. It's you. It's really you."

She smiled, pulling away slightly to look at him, "It's really me."

Mandy hadn't felt this happy in a long time. Just seeing Ian was like drinking a gallon of water after days in the scorching desert. It breathed back life into her. 

"Mandy." He stated, cupping her face, looking her up and down. "You look amazing. What - How? Wait, what are you doing here? Where have you been all this time?" His confused, freckled face made her laugh.

"Calm down, I'm here to catch up, aren't I?"

"Yeah, no, yeah."

She chuckled again, "So, what's up? How you've been? Any lucky men lurking around?" 

It was at that moment his eyes widened, "You have any idea what went on here these past years?"

She shook her head, smile slightly dropping. "I literally just found out Terry was shot this afternoon." 

Ian's eyes widened even more, and he bit his lip as he slowly asked, "You know where Mickey is?"

Mandy felt sad all of a sudden -- was Ian still not over her brother? Was Mickey out of jail and gone, somewhere out there in the world, like she was? But Ian didn't look sad, or like he was longing for Mickey. It was as if he wanted to know if she knew something he did. 

"No..." She replied warily. 

His face suddenly lit up in a smile. "You wanna know?"

Her heart pounded in her chest. Mandy and Mickey never had a regular brother-sister relationship, and they sure as hell would never call what they did have love. But fuck, she cared about her brother. She cared a lot when he went to jail, sentenced to eight years. She cared a lot that he was heartbroken over Ian the last time she talked to him through the tainted, dirty glass, a few weeks before she left. She cared she had no idea where he was. And she cared to know why Ian was smiling like that.

"What are you talking about, Ian?"

Then just like Carl, he shouted a name up the stairs. This time, Mandy didn't cringe.

"Mickey!"

Their gazes locked and Ian nodded at Mandy's unasked question. Mickey was here, in this house, right now.

They only had to wait a few moments. Mickey always came when Ian called. "The fuck you want, Gallagher?"

The familiar voice made her chest tighten. Her eyes were met with a pair of blue ones and she let out an exhale as Mickey froze halfway down to the living room.

"No fucking way." She said, breathlessly. 

"Right back at ya'." He said cautiously, continuing his way down.

"Who would've known the infamous Mickey and Mandy Milkovich would be here, in the Gallagher house, right now, after all these years." Her mind was reeling.

Mickey smiled at her knowingly, "Guess we both have a certain redhead to thank for that."

Mickey and Mandy hated physical contact, always had, but there were exceptions to their "no-touch" rule, which why they found themselves wrapped up in each other's arms after all these years of being apart, of being god-knows-where, completely unbeknownst to one another. 

"How are you not in jail?" She asked quite bluntly -- not that she particularly cared, they were used to rashness.

Mickey smirked at her. "I escaped, went to Mexico, rolled on a cartel, ended back in jail, but then I got out on probation. How are you here?"

Mandy stared at her brother in shock. He looked so different. Not just physically, but also... he seemed happier. She ignored his question and turned to Ian. "So you guys are together, even after all this time?"

Ian and Mickey shared a knowing look before Ian raised his hand. "Been married for over a year, actually."

She looked down at Mickey's tattooed knuckles, and there it was, the ring, proudly shining in the light. Mandy just simply stared. "No fucking way."

Mickey just shrugged, "Guess we got some catching up to do, sis."

She smiled widely. Yes, they did.


	2. Mandy Milkovich, The One That Got Away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Continuation of "Coming Home"
> 
> Mandy was ready to find out what had happened when she was gone. She was also ready to finally say goodbye.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Coming Home" was originally supposed to be a one-shot but the comments were so sweet, asking for more, so I was like, why not give people what they want? Personally, I don't like things that aren't canon-compliant, so in general, continuing writing a fic with Mandy in the Southside just didn't feel right to me, so instead, I'll let you all be able to pretend this was fit in somewhere between these three weeks we had to wait for the new episode. I hope you like it, and I'd love to hear your feedback. Lots of love, Chandler.

Mandy assessed the interior of the Gallagher home more closely as she waited in the worn-out, all-too-familiar kitchen. It was just like the rest of the house, strangely unchanged as if no time had passed since the last time Mandy had sat here with Ian, right after the whole fiasco with the dead client, talking about the next steps in her life, the conversation mostly just consisting of Mandy assuring Ian she'd be okay and that, whatever happened, she'd always be there for him and his family. He made sure to assure her right back, emphasizing each word as he spoke. She remembered it as if it were yesterday -- his pale, tired face, and his dull green eyes looking straight into hers, making sure she understood and knew she would always come first.

"You're my best friend," He had said back then, as she desperately tried to stop the tears from overflowing. It was a rough time for her. She wasn't happy, she wasn't wanted, or needed -- all she was was just another pretty face for men to enjoy. Mandy would never admit how violated she felt. She'd never admit how it made her feel like a prostitute, even if she mostly drew the line at sex. It was rare that she even allowed men to offer it up, but she wasn't going to lie and say she had never done it. Hell, money is money.

She briefly thought of the time Ian had worked in that strip-club, using his body for entertainment just like she did. Fuck, those were some fucked up times. But they were past that, weren't they? All those months of sexual exploitation they had to endure -- albeit separately and in different ways -- they were now free of it, the whole part of their lives just a distant memory. At least it was for her. She could only hope the same for Ian.

But then she remembered his smile and his now, once again, glowing emerald orbs, the band on his ring finger proudly glinting against the light -- a lot had changed in these past few months, and they hadn't even scraped the surface of it all in the past hour she'd been here.

They started slow, talking about random shit, starting from where the hell she'd been all this time, to how the fuck Mickey wasn't behind bars right now, and once the whole timeline was explained when the actual fuck they managed to find the time to get married. But after the initial shocks and revelations settled down, the excitement and surprise dwindled and all that was left was a comfortable silence in which they took all the new information in. The silence was broken by Mandy when she asked to see the wedding album, which she kind of even didn't expect for them to have.

Ian's face had brightened up and he stood up immediately, going up the stairs in search of it. Mandy had been left alone with her brother, the man she could now barely recognize. She always knew Mickey was happiest with Ian, but fuck, this was a whole different person in front of her. This was the married Mickey Milkovich, whose laugh lines were more prominent now, forehead slightly less creased in worry than she remembered, posture not so stiff, perhaps aware there wasn't any danger here. They waited in silence for their redhead to come back down, but Ian was known for taking his sweet time, so it lasted slightly longer than either of them expected.

Mandy guessed he wanted to give them space, which was confirmed when Mickey muttered, "It's in the goddamn closet, not in Narnia," underneath his breath, making her snort. He looked at her thoroughly for the first time since she entered the house, eyes passing over every pore on her face and each surface of her body. He then, after his not-so-discreet inspection, bluntly asked, "You good?"

She smiled, slightly forcing her mouth to quirk up, "I'm good." She then followed up, "You?"

The smile that seemed to overtake Mickey's face was anything but forced. It was as if someone lit up his face, making him almost gleam in the shitty kitchen light -- it was so unusual of him to even smile, let alone grin like he just saw a box filled with Rugers and ammo that had a sign "for free" on it (not that he wouldn't take it even if it didn't). He nodded slowly, "I'm pretty fuckin' great."

Mandy glanced at the stairway, "Does it have something to do with that inconspicuous giant up there who's oh-so-desperately looking for your hidden wedding album?" She grinned coyly. 

Mickey didn't shy away from grinning back, but rather let a smirk overtake his expression, "Dumbass thinks he's slick. He literally has the wedding tape saved on his phone." He pointed at the piece of technology lying on the table near their beers, before picking it up. He adjusted himself so he was sitting slightly closer to Mandy, allowing the lock screen to appear in her line of sight. Her heart warmed at the lock screen on Ian's phone -- just a simple selfie of the happy couple, but it was obvious it was from their wedding day, both of them wearing suits, bowties hanging loosely around their necks -- and she grinned when Mickey entered the passcode, none other than what she guessed was their wedding date. He opened the gallery, scrolled through a bunch of pictures, some of them, unfortunately for Mandy, being obvious dick-pics, before settling on a video. Turning the phone sideways he held the phone as the wedding video played.

She couldn't stop smiling as she watched her best friend and brother get married, eyes so filled with love and admiration for one another -- it was unlike anything she'd ever seen.

Mandy wasn't always aware of how powerful their connection was -- in fact, she seemed to be dense enough not to have figured it out for the first three years of their relationship -- but once she did, it was so hard to miss how in love they were. Back then, it was hard not to notice the co-dependency and the weirdness of it all -- Ian being sick, Mickey being overly-protective, shit being so fucking over the place that everything seemed somewhat unnatural and rushed. It wasn't loveless -- fuck, no -- but there wasn't much happiness. She didn't doubt they were happy, wrapped in their own little bubble, away from the Gallagher siblings forcing the doctors down Ian's throat, and the Russian whores breathing down Mickey's neck, but it was everywhere, at once, and she didn't see how they could've possibly enjoyed it. It was a storm rather than a smooth sail, but then again, their entire relationship was.

But now...something was different now. It was in the way Ian's face shined brighter, brighter than Mandy had seen in a very long time, and it was in the way Mickey seemed so laid back, not glancing at the stairway every two seconds, worrying why Ian wasn't here, if he was okay, if he was manic, sad, depressed, suicidal, or in a fucking kidnapping mood. She'd never say it out loud but, Ian was so mentally ill all those years ago that seeing him happy was unrecognizable.

Mickey paused the video about four minutes in, turning towards the kitchen entrance where Ian suddenly stood. "Ah, there's my phone." 

Mickey shot him a 'really?' look before muttering, "Don't you worry your pretty little head about it now, I showed her the video while you were jacking off upstairs, or whatever the fuck took you so long."

Ian narrowed his eyes, before sending a look towards Mandy as if apologizing for Mickey's bluntness. He forgot she lived with Mickey long before he did. It made her smile. "Yeah Ian, what were you doing? Maybe you suddenly switched teams, had the other Milkovich turn you on for a change?"

She shot a teasing look towards Mickey who scowled slightly at the inclination, but then shortly after smirked, looking to Ian, who Mandy had to remind herself was now his husband, "It was the thought of the wedding turning him on. Nothing to do with your weird-ass."

Ian shifted slightly uncomfortably which made both of the Milkovich siblings grin. "I was with him first," Mandy muttered underneath her breath, knowing her brother could hear her.

"I'm here last, bitch." He teased back and Mandy was shocked when Mickey didn't shy away from the gentle touch when Ian placed a hand on his thigh. 

A loud noise erupted from the outside as if it was coming from the house next door -- which, Mandy guessed, it did -- the shouting being her relatives screaming at each other. She couldn't discern all the voices, but some words were pretty clear.

"You go wash his shitty diapers and his fucking balls, then! I'm gonna' fuckin' throw-up!"

"I'm fuckin' leavin'! Go take care of the bastard if you wanna, I'm gonna just let 'im fuckin' die!"

Mandy didn't even notice herself flinch and Mickey's face became rigid. Ian's hand on his thing tightened for a moment, squeezing it softly, as if to say, "I'm here."

Mickey didn't push it away. Mandy had expected him to.

He finally spoke after the shouting toned down. "You know 'bout Terry?" He got up as she answered, grabbing three new beers from the fridge, their drunk ones left on the table before them.

"Yup. Real fucking sad about it."

He snorted, "Yeah. Me too."

Mandy noticed Ian glancing at Mickey warily. She didn't know Mickey as well as Ian did, she guessed, but there was still a part of her that knew his feelings were as fucked up as hers. She didn't know whether to feel sad or happy -- she had no clue what she was feeling. Was it indifference? Did she just simply not care enough to feel anything about the poor excuse she had to call her father? No, it wasn't that. Something was there, but she didn't know what. It wasn't empathy or sadness, but it was a feeling that caused her unease, mostly because she couldn't put a fuckin' name to it. 

They stayed silent as Mickey opened the beers and handed them over to Mandy and Ian. She bit her lip as she imagined Terry, paralyzed from the neck down. She took a gulp of her cold beer.

"You seeing anyone?" 

Ian broke the heavy silence with the simple question and she couldn't help but snort. She knew Ian could diffuse a situation in a second, but she also knew there was a certain underlying fear in his words -- was he stepping over the line by saying something? Would Mickey or Mandy push him away if he tried to offer comfort? Would he be shut down and rejected by a simple look they could give him? It was why he always went with the easiest solutions -- changing the subject.

The Milkovichs didn't like being vulnerable, and sure as hell hated being fucking pitied. But Ian wasn't pitying them when he tried to make it better, and they knew it. Mandy knew both Mickey and she were thinking the same thing when it came to Ian -- it didn't matter if he outright told them to shut the fuck up, or offered them to cry it out -- they wouldn't hold back from glaring at him and shooting daggers at his freckled face, but eventually, they'd listen. It wasn't because Ian's words were compelling or anything, but because Ian did everything out of the goodness of his heart. It was why they loved him. In that sense, he was pure, and he never had any malicious intent -- so if he offered them advice, they'd take it begrudgingly, because it was Ian who'd given it. 

Ian knew how to make things right. Ian cared.

"I got a nerd sending me flowers every week." She replied, gauging their reactions. Ian smirked and Mickey snorted in disbelief.

"With the heart-shaped notes and all that shit?" Ian offered and she laughed.

"All that shit."

"He won over your cold, bitchy heart yet?" Mandy glanced at her brother.

"Nope. He still doesn't know that a way to a woman's heart is through her stargazer lilies."

Ian's eyes widened in panic. "Don't get him started, please."

Mandy laughed loudly, slightly confused, but amused nevertheless, "Oh, this I need to hear."

As Ian indulged into the wedding-planning story, explaining just how big of a diva Mickey was -- as if she didn't know already -- she couldn't help but observe. The way Ian so casually slung an arm over Mickey's shoulder. The way Mickey leaned in, unbothered by the touch -- inviting, actually -- placing a hand on Ian's knee as he laughed along with the story, defending himself, muttering how incompetent everyone but him was and how the wedding would've been a total shitshow without the little details only he could remember to add. 

They seemed to have been laughing for hours when the back door swung open behind them, revealing a person she had hoped to avoid seeing. 

Lip looked good. He looked amazing, actually. It was weird seeing him, after all this time, hair shorter than she remembered, body leaner, his face more tired, eyes red. He stopped short when he noticed her, and she noticed, out of the corner of her eye, Ian and Mickey sharing a look.

Yup, them against the world. Opinions shared through silent looks, communicating through just a simple glance. 

She guessed that was what happened when you were two halves of one story.

She had no intention of making this awkward, though.

"Hey, Lip." She smiled at him and he seemed to shake himself out of the daze. 

"Mandy...hi. What - what are you doing here?"

"Came to visit. Felt a little nostalgic." Mickey was rubbing his knuckle against his nose, looking as uncomfortable as she felt.

Mandy suddenly felt nauseous and her lungs felt stuffed. She needed air, badly, but if there was one thing she'd never do is make it painstakingly obvious Lip was the reason why. She didn't fucking expect to see him. She didn't expect any of this shit -- not Terry, not Ian and Mickey, not the fucking Milkovichs and Gallaghers living door-to-door -- fuck, sometimes it was too much. The feeling from this morning when she was standing at the Milkovichs' front porch, just finding out about her deadbeat father, was back again. She felt sick.

She glanced at Ian and Mickey, who were watching all of this unfold with careful expressions on their faces. Mandy forced a smile "I gotta get going if I wanna get an Uber to pick me up from the Southside. Pretty sure they won't wanna drive up here if it's past ten o'clock."

They didn't argue but just nodded, being oddly polite as they walked her to the door. Lip merely muttered a see you as she put on her coat and stepped out into the night, only Ian in tow. Mickey stayed behind the now-closed door, his shadow moving away alongside Lip's. She didn't know how their relationship was now, back then being practically non-existent, but she did not doubt that, now, they were talking about her.

"Sorry," Ian muttered finally. 

She glanced up at him, head tilting slightly, "It's alright. It's been a long time, things have changed, people move on."

And she did. She moved on a long time ago, but the entire Southside brought back the memories she had so carefully hidden away, compartmentalized in a box in the back of her broken mind, the one she pretended didn't exist. It was hard not to reminisce and let her thoughts wander, but it wasn't because of unrequited, never-forgotten love -- no, not at all. It was just... a feeling she couldn't put a name to. She had a lot of those these days.

"You look really happy." She said instead. "I love how happy you look."

He smiled at her, obliging with the change of subject, "I am happy. It's been good. Really good."

Mandy couldn't help but add, "You make him happier too. I've never seen him so..." She struggled to finish.

Ian took a deep breath. "I know. But, to me, he's always been like this, he's just more open about it. Just... don't point it out. It makes him retract, realize what he's doing."

She understood very well what he meant. But Ian continued before she was able to answer. "Lip's got a kid now and a girlfriend."

Her eyes widened, shocked. "No way."

Ian smiled fondly, "Fred Gallagher. One-year-old -- looks just like Lip." He then added, warily, "Lip...he's a recovering alcoholic, but, um... he's doing good. Well, kind of. The kid, he makes him happier. Better, I guess."

Mandy didn't let the words sink in. She just smiled earnestly, imagining his child, the one she knew he'd take care of. She could process everything else later, in her hotel room, in the dark where she knew nobody was watching. "I'm glad." She then whispered, knowing she had to say it, "I am too."

It was true. She was happier. She was so much happier. For the first time in years, she was content, safe, and alright.

Strong arms embraced her and she let herself be held. "You coming back here ever again?" Ian asked softly. 

Mandy knew he didn't just mean this house -- what he was asking was whether she'd come back here tomorrow, whether she'd talk to the others, face her family, face Lip, the Southside she left behind as a whole. And Mandy knew what she was saying when she replied, quite simply, "No."

Ian stayed silent before muttering into her neck, "You gonna say goodbye to Mickey."

Mandy's mind drifted back to that moment as the door was about to close, once again separating them from one another like life always did. It would be so easy to just open it again, let herself be vulnerable for once, let herself hug Mickey, tell him she loved him for the first time since they were little kids, not so scared of the world around them, before Terry had ruined them and their childhoods. The same Terry who was now stuck in a chair for the rest of his life. 

But that wasn't the Milkovich way. 

She then thought about the look they shared just as the door closed. The silent nod he gave her, his eyes locked heavily on hers, sending a silent message only she understood, She remembered the way she nodded back, sending a silent message back. It wasn't I love you. It was something much deeper.

Mandy let her eyes water. "I already did."

She heard Ian sniff, arms tightening. "Goodbye, Mandy."

A tear slipped from her eye as she spoke those last words.

"I love you, Ian."


End file.
